I love salads. I have a knack for making tasty ones. I really need to be better about posting them. This is one of my current favorite salads. I have been making it quite frequently. A few people have asked for the recipe, so why not get some motivation to sit down and post it. One kid is having his afternoon snack and the other is cleaning up (playing with?) his play doh mess from earlier today. The dishes are done. I vacuumed and washed the kitchen floor this morning. And if I don’t glance over to my left I can pretend the family room isn’t covered in toys and wipes that the toddler took out of the package. Oh what was I doing? That’s right, sharing my Fattoush recipe!

I kind of wing some of the ingredients. A salad by nature can be created that way. I don’t always use the exact measurements for the veggies I include. I am always always always generous with my leafy greens.

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced

sprinkle of salt and fresh black pepper

1 to 1 1/2 packages of Baby Romaine, finely chopped

2-4 vine ripe tomatoes, depending on size. Diced

1-2 cucumbers. Diced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sumac

1 container of feta cheese

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt/pepper in a large bowl. Add all of the greens and veggies. Sprinkle with the sumac and mix well. Top with feta cheese and mix well again. I really mix it a lot to get the dressing covering all of the veggies. I know there is no feta in the photo, I added it at the party. Recently I added it before we left for a party and it was just as tasty.

You can also serve this with pita and chicken. I have served it with chicken shawarma. Very tasty. It is a stand alone dish or a beautiful and delicious side dish.

I get excited when I come up with different spice blends that I can store for continued use. This meal came from that. I actually found the cutest little mason spice jars over the weekend. I have a mason jar OBSESSION! I bought 3. I will likely go back and get more. Now I needed spice blends to fill up those jars. This meal comes from one of those blends. The link for the recipe is below. Enjoy!

In a large pan, heat the garlic and olive oil. Add steak bits and begin to brown. Add the Middle Eastern seasoning and sea salt, mix well so all pieces are coated. Continue to cook. When most pink is no longer noticeable, add the red and orange peppers. Cook until peppers begin to get soft. Add the zucchini, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let the zucchini begin to get tender. Add the pine nuts, mix well, heat through. Serve!

I really love making my own seasoning mixes. I always know what is in them. I can control the sodium levels. There are no preservatives. They are super easy to make. They are usually beautiful as well. This is no exception!

Middle Eastern Spices

2 tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika

2 tsp ground Cumin

1 tsp fresh black pepper

1 tsp ground Coriander

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1/4 tsp Cardamom

Combine all in a container of some sort and shake very well to combine. Store in air tight container and use as needed.